U.S. Military responds to urination on enemy corpses

[titanic3]

define innocent in this context.

Different for every person. And way too complicated to type it all out without writing a novel.

You might say innocent means not killing another human being purposely. But what if it was self defense? What if that person thinks what they're fighting for is right? Who are you to tell them otherwise? ("you" meaning other people).

Some deity gave us the power to think for ourselves, and there's always going to be some one disagreeing with another.

[Karnak]

You don't do it because it hurts the mission and it puts your fellow Marines in more danger.

[Anodizer]

Imagine all the wonderful footage we'd have of "atrocities" if they only had smart/cellphone cameras in WW1, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc.. 
This isn't anything new, folks....  These kids just happened to have gotten caught by their own inability to think far enough ahead of the game..

This has nothing to do with being a soldier..  It is representative of how dumb a majority of "young adults" are these days..  God bless 'em for being over there, either way..
May be dumb, but at least they have a balls..

[PR3D4TOR]

... and bladders! 

[Guppy35]

Sadly dehumanizing the 'enemy' is as old as war itself.   Not the first time it's happened, nor will it be the last.  I'd suggest reading "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge.  It's the first thing I thought of when I saw this stuff.  He talks about it and how a friend who was a medic stopped him from going down that road.  In retrospect he said, the medic helped him hang on to some of his humanity.   And as a survivor of both the Peleliu and Okinawa invasions, he is more then qualified to speak of it.

That being said, the blood thirsty keyboard commando's here need to think first before typing.  Unless you've been there, and this includes me, we're not qualified to judge either for or against what happened. 

[Selino631]

I would have done the same thing as the troops, and I salue them for what they did. Do you think THEY wouldn't have done the same thing to the bodies from the towers? I saw a vid of some ANA blokes absolutely desecrating a few taliban bodies. I feel their anger. Was it right? Hell no, that's way, WAY F*cked up, but I feel them and I think what they did just about sums up a LOT of emotions about our enemy.

Im in Afghanistan right now, i lived with the ANP for a few months, you should see how they treat Captured Taliban...

[uptown]

i'd piss on em too.   I haven't forgot the beheading videos those savages put out. 

[uptown]

Disgraceful, but not inexplicable.  I'd wager that being out there in the sticks, seeing your buddies ripped to shreds by IED's, mortars, and snipers would leave anyone itching for revenge.  It doesn't make it right though; the fight was over, and be they military, civilian, or space alien, it doesn't matter, peeing on dead bodies is not only wrong, but also rather creepy.  Those guys need some mental help- getting off by urinating on a corpse with your buddies isn't a sign of a healthy mind.

-Penguin

do tell how many combat situations have you been in? these guys you call mentally ill die for you everyday son. i don't like you.

[Vulcan]

Different for every person. And way too complicated to type it all out without writing a novel.

You might say innocent means not killing another human being purposely. But what if it was self defense? What if that person thinks what they're fighting for is right? Who are you to tell them otherwise? ("you" meaning other people).

Some deity gave us the power to think for ourselves, and there's always going to be some one disagreeing with another.

Sorry mate my ancestors evolved, nobody gifted me the power to think except them.

All I'm pointing out is Einsteins laws of relativity. Innocent depends on your point of view, and to some 18 year old kid in the hill tribes of afghanistan pictures of some stereotypical yanks urinating on his mates body isn't not going to help the cause is it. He doesn't have access to the internet, a good education, the AH BBS, CNN, or Fox news. But you can be sure such pictures will be circulated. All he knows is what he's told - that Amerikans are evil and here's proof.

And who's to say those corpses weren't kids any different, who thought they were fighting the evil occupiers in their country?

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

[coombz]

great thread 

really interesting to see the comments here as opposed to some of the discussions about this I've seen on other American forums...the Aces High community really is something special

[Tom5572]

What they did, I can umderstand, but if I was their platoon sergeant, i would rip them apart. We as Soldiers or Marines must conduct ourselves better and cleaner then our enemy. I remember one insurgent break down and start crying in the TMC when he realized we were not treating him only to better torture him. He helped our cause a lot after that.

We separate ourselves from them by our actions. We have a morale standard, they do not. By their actions, they put the lie to their "Holy" war.

[Dragon]

Ya gotta go when ya gotta go.

[mechanic]

Better to take it out on the enemy than each other.

Brave young men  S!

[Penguin]

Imagine all the wonderful footage we'd have of "atrocities" if they only had smart/cellphone cameras in WW1, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc.. 
This isn't anything new, folks....  These kids just happened to have gotten caught by their own inability to think far enough ahead of the game..

This has nothing to do with being a soldier..  It is representative of how dumb a majority of "young adults" are these days..  God bless 'em for being over there, either way..
May be dumb, but at least they have a balls..

i'd piss on em too.   I haven't forgot the beheading videos those savages put out. 

Now the shoe is on the other foot, eh?  When the marines engage in dehumanization, then it is a question of necessity.  However, if the Taliban commits acts of dehumanization, then it is a question of character.  If you want to argue moral relativity, then do so throughout your opinion.  It is either acceptable for anyone to mistreat, dehumanize, execute, or torture their adversaries on the battlefield or it is not.

Furthermore, in the case of the World Wars, especially World War II, there were well codified laws governing the treatment of POW's, civilians, etc.  Breaking those laws is a war crime, and each and every person who committed such crimes deserves punishment (and if mentally damaged, rehabilitation).

Sure, I'm not Mr. Popular, or Mr. Veteran, or whomever you'd expect me to be, but anyone knows cruelty when they see it. 

-Penguin

[fudgums]

snip

Guess you forgot...




Just a reminder of what they did. IMO, when someone does this to you, humanization is thrown out the window, Sorry.